The government wants to allow vaccination against covid in dental offices and pharmacies
Updates: 12/13/2021 15:38
Released: 13.12.2021, 15:25
Prague – The resigned government approved an amendment to the Public Health Protection Act, which was to allow vaccination against covid-19 in dentists’ offices or pharmacies. It must be approved by Parliament, and the government will consider it a negotiated regime. After the government meeting, the Minister of Health Adam Vojtěch (for YES) told the press. The Cabinet also extended measures that will allow the deployment of troops to help with the epidemic in hospitals, sanitary facilities and testing until June next year.
According to the Minister, the amendment regulates the power of attorney who will be able to vaccinate against Covid-19 and sets the basic rules. “The conditions should have been the simplest so that it could be practically implemented in a pharmacy,” said Vojtěch. According to him, a separate room will not be necessary, but a separate space will suffice. According to him, the Czechia is based on new German legislation, which came into force in a neighboring country last week. Similarly, vaccination in pharmacies is already permitted in Poland or France.
The government has also discussed an extraordinary emergency measure to simplify the system of exposing a pupil to a confirmatory PCR test after a positive antigen test, for example at school or at work. “Currently, I have to enroll her in a general practitioner, who is also quite overwhelmed,” the minister said. The new ones will be exhibited by a hygienist from January 3 next year, the chief hygienist Pavla Svrčinová has previously stated that it will be through external call centers.
Employees will receive a positive test confirmation with which they will be able to go to the test site. According to Vojtěch, this change will take effect on December 20.
The initiative Doctors Help the Czech Republic came up with the fact that dentists could also take part in the vaccination. She called on doctors with private surgeries to register at vaccination centers or to offer those interested in vaccinations a dedicated time in their surgeries. He currently has, according to information on the web over 1250 volunteers and 135 surgeries. However, Minister Vojtěch informed on Friday that the current legislation on vaccinations does not allow dentists in their surgeries to register at vaccination centers. Representatives of pharmacists have also been calling for the possibility of vaccination for a long time.
There are about 6,800 general practitioners for adults and 4,800 for children and adolescents in the Czech Republic. According to the ministry, only about 3,360 surgeries are vaccinated. There are about 7,500 dentists, about 1,600 gynecologists and about 12,700 other outpatient specialists. The pharmacy is about 2800.
Most of the nearly 14.4 million doses of covid-19 vaccination were given at vaccination centers. The General University Hospital (VFN) opened new ones in Prague’s OD Kotva with a capacity of up to 1,500 doses a day, helping organizations with the military police. It is open every day from 09:00 to 20:00, no advance registration required. The center is designed for people over 16 years of age. At 09:00, when the center on the fourth floor of the department store opened, the interest was rather smaller, the queues did not form and only individuals went. Originally, the center was also to be opened by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (YES), who did not arrive.
Soldiers can help manage the epidemic until June 2022
Soldiers will be able to assist with the covid-19 epidemic in hospitals, sanitary facilities and testing until June next year. The government has extended the measure, which was originally scheduled to expire at the end of this year. The regulation allows up to 900 soldiers to be sent to auxiliary work in hospitals and sanitary facilities affected by a pandemic. Another 150 soldiers can be deployed in connection with coronavirus testing.
The Ministry of Defense stated in the proposal that due to the pandemic situation and the massive spread of covid-19 in the population, it is proposing to extend the regulation until next year. “The proposed extension of the government’s regulation will allow the continued deployment of soldiers in active service for rescue work consisting in the protection of the population and the prevention of the spread of covid-19,” he said.
Currently, the army is helping in about seventy hospitals, sending over 300 soldiers. Other soldiers help with tracing, testing or running a so-called Smart Quarantine.